Strap sealing apparatus



Nov. 2, 1937.

S. J. JOHNSON SiTRAP SEALING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 20, 1953 4Sheets-Sheet l A 11N LTT@ mb @n liz/uz jabn/@2115070 /mOhN NNN. u WWNNfifi @MN L mQN 1 m uw wm m. .JUS MDI D hm \1 Nov. 2, 1937. s. J. JOHNSONSTRAP SEALING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 2Q, 1933 mwN @NN Gg0%.

l hh mm @wwf NQN m um@ m @NN @QN Filed Nov. 2o, 193s 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 s;J. JoHNsoN STRAP SEALING APPARATUS Filed Nov. A20, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 4MMM sdm. mmm

Patented Nov. 2, 1937 STRAP SEALING APPARATUS Squire Julius Johnson,Seattle, Wash., assignor to Acme Steel Company, Chicago, Ill., acorporation of Illinois Application November 20, 1933, Serial No.698,835

14 claims. (ci. :s1-9.1)

Ihis invention relates to strap sealing apparatus for supplying seals tothe overlapping ends of metal straps and the like such as are employedin reenforcing' boxes and packages and in bind- The present invention isan improvement upon -that described and claimed in the co-pendingapplication of William. C. Childress Serial No. 629,798, led August 22,1932, in which there is disclosed a form of apparatus comprising amovable head having a pair of relatively movable jawsv adapted toreceive between them an open channel-'shaped seal which is then broughtinto engagementl with the overlapping ends of a metal 'i5 strap bymovement of the head, preliminary to vthe actuation of the jaws to bendthe walls of the seal around the strap and then shear the edges of thestrap and seal to form an interlocking joint. In the use of theapparatus disclosed in said application, the open channelshaped sealsare adapted to be inserted between the jaws by the fingers of the user,who keeps a supply of seals in the region where the work is beingcarried on, and the principal object of Q5 the present invention is toovercome the necessity of thus manually placing the seals between thejaws by providing an improved form of apparatus in which mechanism isprovided for inserting the seals between the jaws, the seals beingpreferably supplied from a magazine or other source of supply whichforms a part of the apparatus. .A further object of the invention is toprovide a strap sealing' apparatus comprising means for drawing a straptaut with its ends overlapping in combination with sealing devices forapplying a seal to the overlapping strap ends and forming aninterlocking joint and means for feeding a seal from a source of supplyto a posivtion embracing the overlapping strap ends pre- 10 liminary tothe operation of the' sealing devices. Still another object of theinvention 'is to provide a strap sealing device comprising a pairofrelatively movable jaws adapted to receive a seal to be held by the jawswhile being supplied to the 15 overlapping strap ends to form aninterlocking joint, in combination 'with means for feeding seals insuccession from a source of supply to a position where they are heldbetween the jaws. Another object of the invention is to provide strapsealing apparatus comprising a pair of jaws adapted to receive and holda channel-shaped seal between them whilesaid jaws are moved bodily tobring the-seal into engagement with overlapping strap ends, incombination with a seal-containing magazine and seal feeding meansvmagazine to a position between the jaws.

ing groups of boxes or other load units together.`

adapted to move the seals endwise from the Other. objects relate tovarious features of construction and arrangement which will appear morefully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the followingspecification taken with the accompanying drawings, in which oneembodiment is illustrated. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of a box or pack- 1o a'ge with theimproved sealing apparatus of the present invention in position thereonfor drawing a strap taut around a package and supplying a seal to theoverlapping ends of a strap;

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged front elevation of l5 the sealing apparatusshown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the open channel-shaped seal which isfed from the magazine of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2 to thesealing jaws of said apparatus and subsequently bent 20 around the strapends and deformed to form the interlocking joint shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the completed strap joint which isformed by the operation of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2 upon aseal 25 oi the form shown in Fig. 3 after the seal has been applied tothe overlapping strap ends;

Fig. 5 shows a horizontal section through the apparatus taken on theline 5 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 shows a detail vertical section taken on 30 the line 6 6 of Fig.2;

Fig. 7 shows a detail vertical section taken on line 1-1 of Fig'. 2 withthe movable head in its elevated position;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on the line 35 A8 8 of Fig. 5 withthe movable head in its lower position;

Fig. 9 shows an enlarged detail vertical .section through the sealsupply magazine, the section being taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 10; 40

Fig. 10 shows an enlarged vertical section taken on the'line Ill-I0 ofFig. 5, illustrating the means for moving the seal from the seal supplymagazine to a position'between the jaws; A

Fig. 11 shows a vertical section taken on :the 45 line II-Il of Fig. l0;I

Fig. 12 shows a vertical section taken ony the line l2-I.2 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 13 shows an enlarged vertical section through the lower portions ofthe jaws taken on 50 the line |3-l3 of Fig. 10, showing the relativepositions of 'the jaws at the point where the walls of the seal havebeen bent around the overlapping strap ends; and

Fig. 14 is a sectional view somewhat similar to 55 Fig. 10, showing therelative positions of the jaws -dit at a later stage of the operationwhen the edges of the strap and seal have been sheared to form aninterlocking joint.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the' improved strap sealing apparatus 25,embodying the features of the present invention, is illustrated inposition on top of Va box 26 which has applied thereto a pair of steelbinding straps 21 which surround the box and which havejtheiroverlapping ends united by the use of the apparatus 25, shown inoperative position with respect to one of the straps. The ends f eachstrap 21 are adapted to be engaged by gripping devices embodied in thetool 25 which is operated to draw the strap taut around the box. Whenthe strap has thus been drawn taut, the apparatus is operated to cutoii` the strap from thesource of supply and to placeover the overlappingstrap ends a channel-shaped metal seal which is fed to the sealingdevices from a magazine in which a number of seals are stored. Thesealing devices are carried by a movable head and when a seal has beeninserted between these devices, the head is moved downwardly to effectthe cutting off of the strap and place the seal in a position where itembraces the strap ends, whereupon the sealing devices are operated tobend the walls of the seal about the strap and then to shear the edgesof the strap and seal to form an 'interlocking joint of the typedescribed and claimed in the United States Patent No. 1,260,016, datedMarch 19, 1918, one form of which is shownin Fig. 4 of the drawings. Theapparatus of the present invention is particularly adapted to beemployedwith an improved form of seal 30, shown in Fig. 3, which isdescribed and claimed in the co-pending applications of Chester M.MacChesney Serial No. 629,918, filed August 22, 1932, Serial No.727,410, filed May 25, 1934, now issued as Patent Number 1,988,742,dated Jan. 22, 1935 and Patent Number 2,062,098,l dated Nov. 24, 1936,respectively.

This seal is in the form of a channel-shaped metal member having a backwall 30a and side walls 30b which diverge from the back wall to theirouter edgesl This flared arrangement of the side walls of the sealpermits it to be applied readily to the overlapping ends of thestrap,facilitates the holding of the seal in the sealing apparatus during theoperation of applying it to the overlapping strap ends and permits aplurality of similar seals to be stacked in nested relationship witheach other so that they may be formed into a. bundle for insertion inthe magazine of the sealing apparatus. The contacting side walls ofadjacent seals in the stack are preferably secured together by asuitable cement, such as ethyl acetate, so that the stack may beconveniently placed as a unit in the seal magazine of the apparatus,while permitting successive seals to be readily broken oif from thestack thereafter and moved to a position between the jaws of the movablehead. Each seal 30 is formed of metal which is hard and stiff but whichhas a slight resiliency and sufficient ductility to cause it to retaina' permanent set after the walls 301 have been bent around theoverlapping ends of the strap.

After the ends 21a and 21b of the strap have"` been overlapped and whilethe strap is held taut by the stretching device, the upper end portion21b of the strap is cut off from the source of supply and the movablehead` of the apparatus is operated to position a seal 30 overtheoverlapping Y ends ofthe strap, after which the relatively movable jawsor sealing devices of the head are operated to bend the side walls 3|!binwardly beneath the strap ends into positions where they liesubstantially parallel to the top or back wall 30EL of the lseal andpreferably overlapping eachother slightly, as shown in Fig. 4.. Therelatively movable jaws or sealing devices carriedby the head are thenoperated to cause the cutting dies thereof to engage the lateral edgesof the strap and seal to shear them along transverse lines Il and at thesame time to deflect the metal of the strap and seal at one side of theline of shear in order to form an interlocking joint. At least one pairof cuts 3i is preferably formed along each edge of the seal and themetal between the pair of cuts is deected downwardly by the cutting diesto form angularly disposed tongues or projections 32, as shown in Fig.4. The edges of these tongues or projections cross the body portions ofthe strap and seal, thus forming interlocking joints at a plurality ofpoints. In the form of joint shown in Fig. 4, there aretwd paire of cutson each sideof the seal.

The sealing apparatus 25 comprises a base plate 33 which is adapted torest upon the surfacepof the box or package about which a strap 21 is tobe drawn taut and sealed. This plate 33 preferably has the irregularcontour shown. in and the forward portion thereof is provided with twopairs of4 relatively movable gripping 'devices which are adapted to gripthe opposite endportions of the strap and to hold them while the strapis being drawn taut. One pair of gripping devices is carried directly bythe base plate and for this purpose the forward portion ofthe plate 33is provided with an upwardly extending integral block or base 36 havingan overhanging flange :ida adapted to conform to and contact with thecurved upper end of a movable gripping dog which is pivotally mountedupon a pin 36 engaging the back wall of this boss, asshown particularlyin Fig. 6. This gripping dog is provided on its under side with aserrated gripping surface 35a which is adapted to coact with the upperside of the end portion 21e of the strap 21 when this strap is seatedupon the stationary gripping plate or iiange 431 which projectsforwardly as an integral part of the base plate 33. This gripping plateor ilange has its outer edges beveled downwardly as shown at 31a tofacilitate the insertion of the strap beneath the movable gripping dog35 which is similarly provided with a tapered portion 35b adapted tocooperate with the beveled surface 3 1a to form a tapered passage toreceive the strap, as shown in Fig. 6. The serrated surface 35a of thegripping dog 35 is oifset toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, withrespect to a vertical plane passing through ythe axis of th pivot pin36, so that when the end 21a of the strap is inserted beneath it, a pullon the strap toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, will tendautomatically to increase the grip of the dog 35 upon the strap. When apull is exerted upon the strap in the opposite direction, the dog 35tends to release its grip so that the strap will be readily removed fromits position over the plate or flange 31. The gripping dog 35 isprovided between its gripping surface and the pin '36 with'an inwardlyextending slot 35c adapted to receive the body Portion of the `strap 21after the strap has been passed around the box or package. This supplyportion of the strap is adapted to be held in this slot 35 by frictionalengagement with a Aball 3l which is aow-7,980 A .adapted to beoscillated about the pin 62 to cause a recess in the gripping dog 35 andan aligning recess in the overhang-lng passage of the boss 34. Athreaded plug 46 adjustably engages the upper end of this spring, andthis plug may be adjusted to vary the compression of the spring which,in addition to maintaining the ball 38 in contact with the'supplyAportion of the strap 21, forces the dog 35 downwardly into engagementwith the upper end portion of the strap 21 which is seated upon theplate or ange 31. v

After the strap 21 has been inserted beneath the dog 35 and passedaround the box or package, the other end portion 21b thereof is placedin positionto be gripped by a movable pair of gripl ping devicescomprising a block 44 which is slidably mounted on the front portion ofthe base plate 33 at the end thereof opposite the block 34. This block44 is secured by cap screws 45 to the end of abat 46 whichfis slidablymounted on the base plate for movement parallel to the front edgethereof and parallel to the direction in which the strap is passedaround the package. As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the block 44 comprises anoverhanging portion'44n which is curved to conform to the 23. curvatureof the upper end. of the contacting gripping dog 41, pivotally mountedupon a pin 48 secured in the rear wall of the block. The gripping dog 41is provided on its under side with a serrated gripping surface 419-which is adapted to coact with the upper side of the end portion 21h ofthe strap when the strap is' seated upon the gripping plate or flange 49formed integrally with and projecting forwardly from the lower part .ofthe block 44. 'I'he gripping dog 41 is inclined so 3l that the grippingsurface 41a is offset toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, with respectto a vertical plane through the axis of the pin 48, so that a pull uponthe strap 21 toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, tends to increasethe grip of the dog V41 upon the strap, while a pull upon the strap inthe `opposite direction serves to effect the automat'c release of thestrap from the gripping dogl.' is gripping dog 41 is moved intoengagement with the strap by a coil spring 50 which engages a tpassage5I formed in the overhanging portion of the block 44, with one endthereof engaging the inclined upper surface of the gripping dog andwith. the other `end thereof engaging a plug 52 which threadedly engagesthe passage 5l to permit adl0 justment of the compression of the spring.

The bar 46, to which the block 44 is attached by the-*cap-v screws 45,is mounted to slide in a groeve 56 which is formed in the upper side ofthe. base plate 33.as shown particularly'in Figs. "7` and 12, and it isheld against upward movement bya bracket or frame 51 and a block 58,both of which are secured to the base plate 33 byscrews 53 passingupwardly therethrough, so that they bridge 'the groove 56 in spacedyrelation to eachother. 'I'he normal retracted position of the bar 46 maybe varied by a set `screw 53 threadedly engaging a lug 54 on the baseplate 33 and adapted to contact at its ends with a projection on theblock/4.4.@ The extremity of the bar 46, opposite the/block 44, isreversely bent, as shown in Fig., l2, to overlie the end of a leverwhichis pivoit to assume the position shown by dotted lines at 60'* inFig. 5, thereby causing movement of the block 44 toward the block 34 forthe purpose of drawing the strap 21 taut around the box or package. Thelever 60 is reenforced on its upper side by a bar 60h whichhas theforward portion thereof bent upwardly to overlie the rear end of thelink 63 and engage the pin 64, as shown in Fig. '1, and the rear end ofthe lever,60 is reversely bent to form a part 6l)c which extendsparallel to the body portion thereof and which is adapted to receivebeneath itthe rear attene'd end 65a of a link 65. This link is pivotallyconnected to the lever 60 by a pin 66 which passes vertically throughthe body portion of the lever, through the reenforcing bar 60b andthrough the reversely bent portion 60. These parts are embraced and heldagainst upward movement by'a yoke 61 which is secured to the base plate33 by 'screws 68 extending upwardly through the plate,

as shown in Figs. 5 and '7. The forward end of the link 65 has a ange65b lyingi'n a Vertical plane, which engages the slot 69a formed in a`crank arm 69 which is constructed integrally with the hub 10% of anoperating lever 10 adapted to be manually manipulated to effect thestretching of the strap by causing the block 44 to move toward the block34. The flange 65b of the link 65 is pivotally connected to the crankarm 69 by a pin 1I, and the hub 1l)a of the operating lever pose ofdrawing the strap taut. Upon movement vor posts 15 secured to or formedintegrally with is secured by a transverse pin 12 upon a shaft 13 whichis journaled in bushings 14 mounted in apertures formed in upwardlyextending arms the base plate 33, as shown particularly in Fig. 5. AWasher 16 of leather or other frictionmaterial is secured to the side ofone of the posts 15 to bear against the hub 10aof the lever handle 10,and a coil spring 11 is mounted on the shaft 13 to bear at one endagainst a collar 18 xed on the shaft and at the other end against awasher 14a at the end of the bushing 14 which is adjacent to the hub 10,and thus hold the shaft 13 in its bearings while maintaining the hub 10a45 vin frictional contact with the leather washer.

This construction is adapted to hold the lever 10 in any desiredadjusted position, preliminary to the operation of manipulating it forthe purtion shown by the dotted lines 60B in Fig. 5. llL'his tallysecured to the end -of the bar by a pin 6I.

The lever 60 extends rearwardly over the base plate 33, as shown in Fig.5, and has an intermediate part thereof pivotally connected by a pin -62with a link 63, the forward end of which is pivotally secured to thestationary block 58 by means of a pin 64 passing through the upper andlower flanges 58a` and 58h, respectively, of this block, as shown inFig. 12. The lever 6D is `important advantage of this construction isthat movement of the lever causes the bar 464 to slide on the-base platewith a corresponding movement, of the-block 44 with 'respect tothe block34. An

the operation of the lever 16 produces a rapid relative movement of theblocks 34 and'44 during the early. part of the stretching operation whenthe strap is comparatively slack, while the rapidity of motion decreasesand the force exerted upon the strap increases as the final stages ofthe stretching operation are approached, thus making it possible to drawa strap taut in a single operation of the lever 16.

The vsealing of the overlapping ends of the strap, by the applicationthereto of a seal 30, is effected by a movable head 6|! comprising apair of sideplates 8l which are pivotally mounted on a shaft 32 fixed inthe lower part ofthe posts 15, as'shown in Figs. 7 and-8. The plates 8iare 75 notched on their upper sides, Vas shown at 8|,

to receive the shaft 13 when the head 89 is in its uppermost position,and these plates are adapted to receive between them a pair of jawmembers 83 which are pivotally mounted upon pins 88 secured in theplates. Each jaw member 831s provided on its inner side with a curvedsurface 83a concentric with its pivotal axis, as shown in Figs. 8 and13, and adapted to move in proximity to the curved surface on the otherjaw member.

supporting member or saddle 85 which is substantially triangular incross-section, having curved surfaces 85a which are adapted to coactwithl the curved surfaces 839- of the jaw members, as shown in Figs. 13and 14. This saddle 85 is provided at each end with an 'integralprojecting trunnion 85b and these trunnions engage apertures in the sideplates 8| to support the saddle in position between the jaw memberswhich are thus capable of relative movement without disturbing theposition of the saddle. The saddle 85 also carries a stop 86 which isadapted to engagethe end of the back wall of a seal 38 to positiontheseal between the jaws when it is moved thereto from the magazine ashereinafter described. The lower portions of the jaw members 83 areprovided with inwardly projecting hooks or jaws 831 having notches 83therein to receive the lower portions of the side walls 3|)b of the seal30 when this 'seal is in position between them, as shown in Fig. '1.

The lower walls or shoulders 83d of these notches engage the extremeedges 38d of the seal and thus hold the-seal in place in position tostraddle the overlapping ends of the strap 21 when the head 8B islowered from its normal upper position, shown in Fig. '7, to its. lowerposition, shown in Fig. 8. 'I'he jaw members 83 are undercut above thejaws 83b as shown at 83e and they are further provided with slots 831,located in vertical planes, which extend inwardly from the lower edgesthrough the jaws 83b and through the curved surfaces 85B. These slots83f are engaged by cutting dies -81 which are in the form of flat platesttingin the slots and having cutting edges 81a which project beyond themargins of the recesses 83e in the jaws and which are ilush with thecurved surfaces 83a of the jaws at their inner ends, as shown in Fig.14. 'Ihese die plates 81 are engaged by the pivot pins 88 about whichthe jaws move and also by pins or rivets 88 which.,

pass transversely through the jaws and the die plates, thus holding thedie plates rigidly in position in the slots of the jaws. When a seal 38is initially placed between the jaws, it occupies ment of the jaws 83about their pivot pins 84 with the result that the side walls of thesealare bent inwardly, as shown in Fig. 13, to underlie the overlappingstrap ends and, preferably, to overlap each other. During this relativemovement of the jaws 83, the dies 81, which/ are mounted within theslots 83f of the jaws, cause the edges of the strap and seal to besheared transversely, as shown in Fig. 14, with the result that a joint`is formed having the interlocking shoulders shown in- Fig. 4, where theparts 32 are the projections which have been deflected laterally by theedges of the cutting dies.

4wall of the slot 91B.

The jaw members have arms 83 which extend upwardly from the pivot pins84 and which are pivotally connected at their upper ends by pins' 88with links 90 mounted to engage slots formed in the upper ends of thesearms. The links 98 are pivotally connected by pins 9| with oppositesides of the hub portion 822t of an operating lever 92 which ispivotally mounted on a pin 93 carried by the side plates 8| of the head.,The turning of the lever 92 about the pin 93 is adapted tb spread thelinks 90 and the arms 831 of the jaw members so that the jaws 83b ofthese members are moved inwardly toward each other to effect theoperations upon the seal 30 which have previously been described. Whenthe head 80 is in its uppermost position, as shown in Fig. 7, theelongated hub 92n of the operating lever ispositioned endwise betweenthe arms 83i of the jaw members and a Aprojection 92b on the hub engagesa spacer bar 94 which extends between the f side plates 8|, thuslimiting further movement of the lever l92 toward the left, as viewed inFig. 7. 'I'he jaw member 83 which is nearest the pivotal axis 82 of thehead 80 is connected to the 'pin s2 by a pair 0f links 9s and 91. Thelink 9s has sleeves |88 mounted thereon for spacing the link midwaybetweenthe side plates 8|. The

link 95 projects into a slot 91 formed in thelink 91 and this end of thelink 98 is rounded on the lower corner thereof, as shown at 96, to

permit relative angular movement of the two l' links in an upwarddirection, as shown in Fig. 8, while preventing relative angularmovement in the opposite direction beyond a point where the two linksare in alignment with eachother, as shown in Fig. 7, due to theengagement of the angular upper corner ofthe link 96 with the end Whenthe two links 96 and 91 are thus in alignment, the axis of the pin 99 islocated below or to the right of a plane containing the axes of the pins82 and 98 so that the two links thus act as a toggle connection betweenthe jaw membersl 83 and the pivotal axis of the head 80, therebypreventing relative movement of the jaw members while the links occupythis position. This toggle connection permits the head 8U to be moveddownwardly by an operating lever 92 without relative movement of the jawmembers 83 and with this lever in the position shown in Fig. 7, untilthe seal 30 held between thejaws 83b has been passed over theoverlapping strap ends. At this point in the operation, the link 91engages a stop member |0| which has a threaded engagement with anaperture formed in the base plate 33 so that it may be adjustedvertically and secured in the desired position by a lock nut |02. Whenthe link 91 contacts with `thisstop member IDI, the link 91 is heldagainst further movement and the toggle connection is then broken uponcontinued downward movement of the head 80. This allows the lever 92 tomove in a forward direction about its pivot 93, thereby separating thearms 83i of the jaw members 83 and causing the lower parts of the jawmembers to close upon the strap and seal to eiect the bending of thearms of the seal about the overlapping 'strap ends and then the shearingof the edges of the strap and seal.

In order to permit the lower portions 83b of the jaw members to engagethe side Walls of the f seal 30 with resilient pressure when the seal 38is inserted between the jaws members with the head 80 in the elevatedposition shown in Fig. '1, one of the links 90 is provided with anelongated slot 90 for engagement by the pin 89 which connects that linkwith the adjacent jaw member, as shown in Fig. 8, thus allowing alimited pivotal movement of this jaw member with respect to theconnected 1ink90. The jaw member 83, which is connected tothe slottedlink 90is provided with a tubular passage |04 in which is slidablymounted a pin |03 having an enlarged head located in the larger portion|04 o f the passage and having a stem which projects from the jaw member-to engage the inner face of the other Ajaw member.

'3 The head of the pin |03 is engaged by a coil spring |05 located inthe enlarged portion |04a of the passage and held in position therein bya threaded plug |06 which is removably mounted in the upper end of. thepassage, as shown in Fig. '7. The

compression of the spring |05 may be adjusted by the lmovement of theplug |08 in order to cause the pin |03 to engage the other jaw memberwith the desired pressure. It will be seen that this construction causesthe lower portions 83h of the jaw members to be moved toward each otherby the action of the spring |05 within the limits permitted by theelongated slot 90 so that when a y se'al 30 is inserted between the jawmembers, the

aring side walls b thereof are engaged with 30- resilient pressure bythe walls of the recesses 83 of the jaw members. The yseal is thus rmlyheld while the heads80 is being lowered to bring the seal intoengagement with the overlapping strap v ends. v The ilange 31 of thebase plate 33 extends transf versely of the base plate for aconsiderable distance, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and it underlies theforward portion of the block 58 which is secured upon the base plate aspreviously described. 49 The base plate has another forwardly projectingflange |01 which extends outwardly parallel to the ange 31 and spacedtherefrom so that an inwardly projecting notch or opening |08 is formedbetweenthese anges in registry with the path of movement of the jaws 83as the head 80 is lowered, thus permitting the jaw members to be closedabout the sealand strap in this opening |08 while the strap is supportedon the adjacent ilanges 31 and |01. The flange |01 is" 80 beveled on itsupper side at its forward) end as shown at |01u to correspond with thebevel on the forward edge of the flange s1, to permit the' convenientinsertion of the strap. At the com- 'mencement of the operation ofapplying a strap 56 21 around a box or package, the freeend 21* of thestrapv is first inserted between the gripping dog 35 and the flange 31with theextremity of the strap projecting across the opening |08 andresting upon the ange |01, as shown in Fig. 2.

i 00 The strap is then passed'around the box or package and the portion21b thereof, which is con` nected to the source of supply, is passedbeneath the gripping dog 41 so that it isheld against the iiange 49carried by the movable block 44. After .55 being passed beneath'thegripping dog 41, the

supply portion 21b of the strap is placed in po'sition over theextremity of the free' end 21 of the strap on the flange |01, as shownin Fig.- 2, and beneath the forward end of the overlying portion v .ofthe bracket 51.` The strap is the'n inclined upi wardly toward the left,as viewed in Fig.2,l and passed over a stationary cutting die ||0, fromwhich point'the supply portion of the strap'is carried over the ange 31of the base plate and 'caused to occupy the slot 35 in the gripping dog35. The stationary cutting die l I0 has the form show'n particularly inFig. '7, being provided with two oppositely extending `blades H0, eachof which has a cutting edge |101. At its middle point, the die has anupwardly extending lug |0c 5 which is apertured for engagement by a bolt||l by which it is secured to the flange '.iiia formed on the block 58.When thus secured in place by the boltfl the lower edge of the die ||0rests upon the upper surface of the base yplate so that an- 10 gularmovement thereof is prevented. The un.- der portions of the blades ofthe cutting die ||0 are inclined upwardly as shown at l I0d in Fig. '7to 'facilitate the insertion beneath the cutting blade of the free endportion 21a ofthe strap. 15

-The stationary cutting die' |0 is adapted to cooperate with a cuttingblade ||2 detachably mounted upon a shearing lever ||3 which ispivotally supported on the-bolt andwhich is pivotally connected with oneend of a link ||4 hav- 20 ing its other -end pivotally connected to apin ||4 stationarily mounted uporrthe adjacent side plate 8| of thehead; The pin ||4b which connects the lever ||3 with the link ||4 has acoil spring ||4 connected thereto and this spring is 25 attached at `itsother end to a stationary pin ||4i carried by the base plate. Thisspring ||4s tends normally to rock the shearing lever ||3 about itspivot in a direction to elevate the cutting blade H2. The action of thisspring ||4 30 tends also to elevate the head about the pin 82 since ittends to move the pin ||4 toward the pin H46, as viewed in Fig. '7,` andthe extent oi notches 8| which are formed in the side plates.

As the head 80 is lowered by a forward pressure Y on the lever 92, thefirst effect of the'downward movement of the head is to lower theshearing lever 3 against the action` of the spring ||4c 40 until theshearing blade finally engages. the upper supply portion of the strap 21and shears it of! by cooperating -with the underlying cutting die |10.Immediately after the strap is cut o from the' source of supply byblades ||0 and 2, the seal 30 carriedsbetween the jaws 83 engages theupper ,en'd portion of the strap which has just been cut off from thesource of supply and forces it downwardly against the underlying endportion 21-. Assoon as this 50 has occurred, the link 91 engages thepreviously `adjusted stop member |0| to break the toggle connectionformed by thelinks 98 and 91 so that these links then move upwardly, asviewed in Figs. 7 and 8, and the lever 92 is then permitted 5.5

to move forwardly about its pivot 93 with the result that the upper arms83i of thejaws are separated and the lower parts 8 3 of these jaws bendthe walls 30 of the seal inwardly beneath lthe overlapping strap ends,causing them to assume the relationship shown in Figs. 8 and 13. Duringthis movement of the lever 92, and the resulting movement of the jaws,the edges of the 'strapl and seal are sheared to form an interlockingjoint, as shown in Fig. 14. When this op- 65 eration oi' forming thejoint is completed, the

lever 92 is moved toward the left, as viewed in AFig. 8,.therebyreleasing the lower parts of the jaws from engagement with the strap andseal and then effecting the elevation of the need an 1li bleek u is'moved toward the right, as viewed 76 the action of the 45 screw |20.

in Fig. 2, thereby releasing the sealed strap from the grip of the dog41. The tool may then be moved toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, andaway from the strap to release the strap from the dog 35. As this isdone, the anges 31 and |01 are withdrawn from their positions beneaththe strap and the strap is then permitted to snap downwardlyin contactwith the top surface of the box or package.

The seal storing and feeding mechanism which introduces the seals 30into the space between the portions 83h ofthe jaw members is mounted atone side of the head 80 and is supported directly or indirectly uponthe, base plate 33 in such a manner that it may be detached and re-4placed when desired. The seals are supplied from a vertically extendingtubular magazine ||5 which comprises a pair of diagonally disposedupright members ||5a which are spaced apart to vform a rectangularenclosure by means of a pair of 'surrounding rectangular `collars ||5band a lower member i |5 of rectangular cross-section.

The lower end of the magazine is embraced by a U-shaped member ||5dwhich is attached to the member ||5 and the lower member ||5b and whichhas its lower horizontal portion arranged to extend beneath and within aslot H6a formed in a'horizontal guide member IIB. The outer end of thisguide member is supported from the base plate 33 by a bracket ||1 andthe inner end rests upon the block 34 to which it is secured by a screwH0 passing downwardly therethrough and also through the lower guidefinger |19 of the guide member which is secured thereto by a The lowerportion of the U-shaped member H5d is secured t the guide member ||6 bya screw |2| and the'magazine is thusheld rigidly in an upright positionso that the. seals V30 which are stacked thereinin nested relationshipare adapted to move downwardly by gravity and to be transferred endwisefrom the magazine through one of the openings |22 which are provided inthe members H5 and in the member H5" at the bottom of the magazine, asshown in Fig. 10. When moved from the magazine, the seals are adapted totravel over the previously mentioned guide finger 0 and beneath an upperguide finger |23 which is supported by a bracket |24 detachably securedby screws |25 to the block 58 in which the pivot pin 34 is mounted. Theupper guide nger |23' thus maintains the seals 30 against upwarddisplacement from the lower guide 'finger i i9 so that the sealsare-adapted to travel in succession from'the intervening slot |25 to aposition between the portions 03h of the jaws. where they engage thestop 0G heretofore referred to.. l

The movement of the seals 30 from the magazine along the slot |26 to thejaws is effected by means of a plunger |30 which is slidably mounted ina rectangular groove i ib formed in the guide member H0, as shownparticularly in Figs. 9 and 10 and this plunger moves transversely tothe movement of the sealing head B0. At its inner end, this plungercarries a longitudinal rib |3ilon its upper side and this rib terminatesin a projection |30b extending beyond the end of the -by gravity and thelower seal rests upon'the.

plunger. When the plunger |30 is withdrawn toward the left from theposition shown in Fig.

10, the seals in the st-ack within the magazine fall member.

the position shown in Fig. 10, the projection |30 rst enters as a wedgebetween the top wally 3|!a of thelowermost seal and the top wall of thenext seal above, thereby separating these seals, which are preferablycemented together as heretofore described, and permitting the lowermostseal to be moved readily over the guide member H6b by the engagementwith the end of the top wall 'thereof of 'the end surface |30d of theplunger. This moves the lowermost seal from the magazine through theinner opening |22 until it occupies a position on Ithe lower guidefinger H9, as. shown in Fig. 10, and, at the same time, other sealswhich have previously been moved from the magazine to the guide finger|I'9 are advanced until one of these seals occupies a. position againstthe stop 86 between the portions 83b of the jaws. The plunger |30is'retained in the groove |||ib by an angular retaining member |3| whichis secured to the upper side of the plunger and which has a, angeunderlying the guide This retaining member is cut away at one corner toreceive the upwardly extending ilange of the bracket ||1 by which theouter end of the guide member is supported and this portion of thebracket thus engages the retaining member and serves as a stop` to limitthe out-l ward movement of the plunger which is effected by a coilspring |32 mounted within the bore |30c of the plunger and engaging theend of the lower guide finger H9. The spring |32 tends normally to movethe plunger |30 toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 10, until the member|3| engages the bracket ||1. The movement in the reverse direction iseffected by pushing manually upon the ball' or handle |33V which ismounted on the outer end of the plunger. The resulting inward movementof the plunger causes the end |301.i of the plunger to engage thelowermost seal and move it onto the guide finger 9. The plunger |30 maymove inwardly until its inner end engages the stop formed by the outerend of the guide finger H9 and this Ymovement is suicient to cause acomplete transfer of the lowermost seal from the magazine to the guidefinger, as previously described. The spacing of the magazine i I5 fromthe movable head 00 is so arranged with respect to the lengths of theseals 30 that an integral number of seals lie on the guide linger H9between the magazine and the head and the amplitude of movement of theplunger 30 is such that each inward movement thereof advances the seriesof seals on the guide finger a dist-ance equal to the length of oneseal. After' each inward movement of the plunger |30, the spring |32automatically returns it to its normal retracted position in readinessto engage and feed the seal which `is then in the lowermost position,within the magazine. Thus, the apparatus may be conveniently and quickly'operated to feed a succession of seals from a storage magazine to aposition between the jaws. vIt will be noted that the seals are fedendwise and are moved between the portions 03h of the jaws in such amanner that the side walls 301l of the seals engage the notches 83d atthe tips of the jaws. Each seal is thus automatically held between thejaws as soon as it is fed thereto from the magazine and is in readinessfor the downward movevof the strap and seal to form an interlockingjoint. By the operation of this tool, a stack of seals arranged in themagazine may be quickly fed in succession to the head 8B and the head,80 may be quickly and conveniently operated for supplying the seals tooverlapping strap ends so that many advantages are obtained as comparedwith the practice of placing the seals manually between the jaws. Whenthe lowermost seal in the magazine rests upon the guidelmember H6, theinward movement of the plunger |30 is adapted to move that seal onlytoward the head 8)A because the upward projection of the plunger abovethe top edge of the guide member is equal to the thickness of the topwall of the lowermost seal and, in addition, the forward projectioni3!)b on the plunger is adapted to effect an automatic separation of*the lowermost seal from 'the next higher one in the stack which isprevented from moving outwardly from the magazine by the engagement ofits top wall Iand side walls with the walls of the -magazine around theopening Although one form of the invention has been4 'shown anddescribed byl way 'of illustration, it

will be. understood that it may be constructed in various otherembodiments coming within th'e sco of the appended claims.

1. The combination in strap sealing apparatus, of means for holding astrap with its ends overlapping, a sealing device, a pivotal support forsaid device, means for feeding a channel-shaped seal into said device,and means mounted on the device for swinging the same in an arcuate pathto bring said seal into engagement with said overlapping strap ends.

2. The combination instrap sealing apparatus,

of vmeans for holding a strap with its ends overlapping, asealing-device, a pivotal support for said device, means movabletransversely to the movement of the sealing device for feeding achannel-shaped seal endwise into said device, and means mounted on thedevice for swinging the same bodily in a downward direction to bringsaid seal into engagement with said overlapping strap ends.

t 3.' The combination in strap sealing apparatus, of means for holding astrap with its ends overlapping, a pivotally mounted sealing head havingsaid jaws to exert a resilient pressure on said seal, means mounted-onthe head for moving the sameto a position in which the jaws `engage theseal with said overlapping strap ends, and means actuated by thecontinued movement of said llast named means for operating said jaws todeform -said .strap ends and saidseal to form an interlocking joint.

5. The combination in strap sealing apparatus,

located adjacent said head, means for moving a seal from said supplymeans to a position between saidjaws, means mounted on the head formoving the same to cause said seal to en.

gage said overlapping strap ends, and means actuated by said last namedmeans for thereafter causing relative movement of said jaws.

6. The combination in strap sealing apparatus. of means for holding astrap with .its ends overlapping, a sealing device normally occupying aposition removed from said strap ends, means for feeding a seal intosaid sealing device to be supported thereby while in said normalposition, means comprising an operating lever mounted bn the device formoving the, same from said normal position to position said seal oversaid overlapping strap ends, and means actuated by continued movement ofsaid lever for thereafter deforming said seal and said overlapping strapends to form an interlocking joint.

7. The combination in strap sealing apparatus,

of means for holding 'a strap with its ends overlapping, a head movabletransversely. to said strap ends and having a pair of relatively movablejaws, said head occupying normally an elevated position with said jawsremoved from said strap ends, a seal magazine mounted at the side lofsaid head and adapted to store a plurality of channel-shaped seals,means for moving a sealK from said magazine endwise into a positionbetween said jaws, means mounted on the device for moving said headbodily downward to vposition said seal ver said strap ends, and meansactuated by said last named 'means for thereafter 'effecting relativemovement of said jaws to bend said seal aboutasaid strap ends and todeform the seal and strap ends to provide an interlocking joint.

8..The combination in strapasealing apparatus, of means for holding astrap with its ends overlapping, a head movable transversely to saidstrap ends and having a pair of relatively movable jaws, said headoccupying normally an elevated position with saidjaws removed from saidstra" end s, a seal magazine mounted atv the side oi said head andadapted tostore a plurality, of channel-shaped seals, means for moving aseal from said magazine endwise into a position between said jaws, meanscomprising a lever pivoted on the head and connected to said jaws formoving said head bodily to cause said jaws and theseal between'them toembrace said overlapping strap ends, and means actuated by the pivotalmovement of said lever with respect to said head for eilectlng relativemovement of said jaws to bend said seal about said strap ends and todeform said strap ends and seal to provide an interlocking joint.

9. 'I'he combination. in strap sealing apparatus, of means for holding astrap with its ends overlapping, a pivoted sealingdevice, means forfeeding a seal into the device, and a single actuating member lmountedon the device for moving said device to cause the seal to engage theoverlapping strap ends and then operating the device to deform the strapends and seal.

10. The combination in strap sealing apparatus, of mean for holding astrap withits ends overlapping, a sealing device, means forfeeding theseal into engagement with the `strap' ends,

and means actuated by the lever to defonn the seal and strap ends.

11. The combination in strap sealing apparaof sealing jaws, means forfeeding a seal into position between the jaws, means mounted on the headfor moving the `jaws bodily to bring the seal into engagementr with theoverlapping strap ends, and means actated by said last named feeding aseal into the device, and a single actuating member movable with andrelative to the device for. respectivelyplacing a seal in engage mentwith the overlapping ends and operating the device to deform the strapends and seal.

13. The combination in strap sealing apparatus, of means for holding astrap with its ends overlapping, a pivoted sealing device, means forfeeding a seal into the device, and a single actuating member mounted onthe device, said member being movable with and 'relative to the devicefor .respectively placing a seal in engagement with the overlappingstrap ends and operating the device to deform the strap ends and seal.

14. 'Ihe combination in strap sealing apparatus, of means for holding astrap with its ends overlapping, a sealing device, means foi' feeding.10

a seal into the device, an operating handle mounted on the .device foractuating the same to place a seal in engagement vwith the strap ends,and means actuated by movement of the handle relative to the device forthereafter operating the 15 same to deform the seal and strap ends.

SQUIRE JULIUS JOHNSON.

